Imaging through scattering media in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum holds many applications in various industries. For example, seeing through fog would enable autonomous vehicles to navigate in degraded weather conditions, augment human drivers and allow airplanes to operate in dense fog conditions. Another domain is medical imaging, where the ability to see into the body in the visible spectrum would reduce ionizing radiation exposure and provide more clinical meaningful data.
Recent advances in single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) counters, and specifically time-resolved single photon counters enabled various challenging imaging applications. The main advantages provided by SPAD devices for imaging are improved noise models and sensitivity, both are essential in low signal-to-noise (SNR) imaging modalities. Another interesting property of SPAD detectors is the ability to measure single photon events which exposes the statistical nature of light. Moreover, the ability to manufacture SPAD arrays naturally lead to a faster and simpler acquisition process as they alleviate the need for scanning.
Here, we leverage a time-resolved SPAD camera and demonstrate its advantages for imaging through scattering media. Specifically we experimentally demonstrate seeing through fog and imaging through scattering layers. These examples directly leverage the single photon sensitivity in modeling and rejecting scattered light.
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